Central America Seismological Center - IRIS

Central America Seismological Center (CASC)
Building regional capacities
and
University of Costa Rica
Institute of Electricity
Building national capacities
Dr. Mauricio Mora Fernandez
Tec. Carlos Redondo Chavarria
Universidad de Costa Rica

Central America Seismological Center
(CASC)
1992 to 2009-09
Dr. Mauricio Mora Fernandez
Tec. Carlos Redondo Chavarria
Universidad de Costa Rica

1. CASC started to operate in 1992. At that time, it moves from one
country to another. It was created with the support of Norway, through
NORSAR, University of Bergen and CEPREDENAC (Centro para la
Prevencion y Mitigacion de Desastres Naturales en America Central).
2. Since May 1998, the Region decided to stop moving CASC and leave it
in Costa Rica, at the Escuela Centroamericana de Geología of the
Universidad de Costa Rica which also operates the Red Sismologica
Nacional (RSN: ICE-UCR).
3. By that time, the Region also decided to leave the Central American
Tsunami Warning System at INETER in Nicaragua.
4. Primary objectives:
• Locate automatically events with magnitude ≥ 4,0 with all stations of
the area and make a preliminary report in almost real time. (Not fully
accomplished because of problems of connectivity).
• Compile a permanent database for research and other applications.
(OK)

Partners (1)
Guatemala:
Instituto Nacional de
Hidrología, INSIVUMEH
Vulcanología, Metereología e
El Salvador:
Centro de Investigaciones Geofísicas, GIC, now SNET
Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales.
Honduras:
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, UNAH
Nicaragua:
Instituto Nicaraguense de Estudios Territoriales, INETER

Partners (2)
Costa Rica
Red Sismologica Nacional, Universidad de Costa Rica,
(RSN: UCR-ICE)
Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, ICE
Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de la Universidad
Nacional, OVSICORI
Panamá
Instituto de Geociencias de la Universidad de Panamá,
Panamá, UPA

DATA PROVIDED BY THE REGIONAL NETWORKS
FROM 1992-01 TO 2009-09
COUNTRY Network code N° of events
shared
N° of
waveforms
Waveforms used
in CAM
Costa Rica (UCR) RSN 76020 32350 14364
Nicaragua (INETER) NIC 33997 28106 10924
El Salvador (CIG) y (SNET) SAL 74664 32302 14745
Panamá (UPA) UPA 5455 7523 5350
Panamá (CHIRIQUI) BRU2-ANG2 0 1400 2337
Guatemala (INSIVUMEH) GUA 20324 10102 9170
Honduras (UNAH) HON 5087 3900 3841
Costa Rica (ICE) BOR 0 1021 768
Costa Rica (ICE) ICE 4525 3120 3722
Costa Rica (OVSICORI) UNA 9195 3100 3012
México (UNAM) CUIG 0 105 101
229267 123029 84552

Map of the first stations (since 1998) from which CASC have received
data, now there are more…

The CAM database has a total of 28.519 events which are reported to
the ISC (International Seismological Center) database

From the 28.519 events, 15.975 have magnitudes ≤ 3,9 and are located with data of
at least 2 countries.

The data has been used for…
• Undergraduate, Master and Ph.D. thesis.
• Research.
• Regional studies of seismic hazard.
• We keep the original database for each country.
So, it is also a very important backup for those
countries that for any reason lose their
databases…

Example:

In Costa Rica, the results were officially
delivered to the:
1. Government.
2. Seismic Code Commission.
3. Civil Protection authorities.

This example means that:
• It is possible to do things together.
• Specially when we have foreign support.
But the point is:
1. When does Central America will be able to make things
by itself?
2. What do we need to reach that goal?

The problem is not simple:
• We have different kinds of limitations at each country
(social, political, economical, technological …).
What might be needed?
• Improve technology.
• A better scientific formation of the personnel and
adequate working conditions (good salaries, budget for
equipment, research, …)
• More coordination and collaboration among countries of
the region and from outside.
• Move CASC to another level through international
cooperation?
• Better politicians? THAT’S A DREAM!!!

Building national (interinstitutional) capacities in Geological Sciences,
Seismology and Seismic Engineering:
1. Central American School of Geology (ECG): Provides formation in Geological
Sciences at undergraduate level. It also has a graduate programs (Master level)
in Hydrogeology and in Risk Management.
2. The ECG also operates the National Seismological Network (Red
Sismologica Nacional: RSN) in collaboration with the National Institute of
Electricity (ICE).
3. Laboratory of Seismic Engineering (LIS) operated by Engineering Research
Institute.
4. Recently the UCR created the Geological Sciences Research Center (CICG).
EDUCATION – RESEARCH - INFRAESTRUCTURE

UCR (24 short and 10 BB + 15 coming soon) + ICE (>50 short period) + LIS (~33 Acc)
http://rsn.geologia.ucr.ac.cr
http://www.lis.ucr.ac.cr/

Seismic Engineering Laboratory
Accelerometers network

UCR (24 short and 10 BB + 15 coming soon) + ICE (>50 short period) + LIS (~33 Acc)

http://rsn.geologia.ucr.ac.cr